Type-writing machine.



A. T. BROWN & G. B. TOMLINSON. I

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,1904.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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.m LL M A. T. BROWN & 0. E. TOMLINSON. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11,1904.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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figmcooco- I I :76 M. d 71. 224M v 3 %%e/ A. T. BROWN & 0-. E. TOMLINSON.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB..11,1904.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

v 3 SHEETSSHEET 3 If T rrn

arr Eric ALEXANDER T. BROWN AND CHARLES E. TOMLINSON, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK; SAID TOMLINSON ASSIGNOR TO SAID BROWN.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.-

Application filed March 11, 1904. Serial No. 197,696.

' useful Improvements in Type-Writing Machines, of which the followlng is a specification.

The present invention relates to the ribbon-mechanism of typewriting machines, one

object of the invention being to reciprocate the ribbon to cover and uncover the printing point during the operation of the type-mechanism.

Another object is to shift the platen and ribbon in unison so as to use the same part of the ribbon in all positions of the platen.

-Another object is to shift a reciprocatory ribbon guide so as to. use different transverse parts of the ribbon at the same printing point. 7

Another object is to shift the platen and a reciprocatory ribbon guideindependently so as to use different transverse parts or fields of the ribbon at each printing point; another object is to simplify the construction and o I eration of the ribbon-mechanism; other 0 j ects will appear hereinafter.

To the ends thereof, the invention consists of features of construction, arrangements and combinations of devices hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

One form of the invention is embodied in the machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a lon itudinal vertical sectional view of a front stri e typewriting machine to which I have shown my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a ribbon guide showing the manner in which the ribbon is received therein. Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly in section of the ribbon mechanism.

ig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the ribbon mec anism.- Fi s. 5 and 6 are detail side views showing, in ull lines, the normal positions of parts when different longitudinal strips of-the ribbon are to be used at the same printing point. Fig. 7 is a detail side view showing the positions of the parts, in full and dotted lines, for lower and upper case work with the up er sectionof the ribbon. Fig. 8 is a like view showing the posi tions of the arts for u per case work with the lower ha f of the rib on; and Fi 9 is an enlarged detail top view of the ri bon vibrator.

In the drawing, the reference 1 marks the base of a suitable frame from which risestandards 2 to the tops of which a top-plate or frame 3 is made fast. To the underside of the frame 3, two type-segments 4are made fast, and type bar hangers 5 are attached by screws and washers to' the fronts ofsaid segments 4. Bell-cranks 6 are fulcrumed on hangers 7 which are secured to a segment 8, and are connected respectively with the type bars 9 and key-levers 10 by suitable links 11, 12. The type bars 9 are each provided with a plurality of type (two type each in the instance shown).

The carriage 13 runs on suitable guide-rails 14:, and has a rack bar 15 pivoted thereto at 16. The rack 15 meshes with a pinion 17 which is fast on a shaft 18. The shaft 18 is providedwith a ratchet or escape-wheel 19 which is connected with the shaft by a backing-ratchet (not shown) as usual.

20 marks fixed and movable escapement dogs or awls which are connectedwith a rock sha t 21 in the usual manner. 22 is a return spring for said shaft 21 and 23 is an arm extending from said shaft and to which the cross-bar 24 is fixed. The cross bar or arm 24 is connected with the universal bar 25 by rods 26 as usual.

27 is the springdrum for drawing the car'- riage 13 to the left.

28 marks a platen which is rotatably mounted in arms 29 of a frame, which arms are pivoted to the carriage 13 at 30 in front oft e platen, and which frame has a roller 31 .journaled in a cross-bar thereof. The platen carrier swings about the pivots 30 to move the platen 28 from one to another printing point, and the faces of the type 9 on each bar are set at an angle to each other so as to strike normal to the platen. The platen may be shifted by any suitable mechanism, as by that shown, which includesa track bar or shift rod 32 fast in arms 33 of a rock shaft 34, a bell crank 35, a link 36 connectingvthe bell crank with an arm 33 and a link 36" connecting the bell crank with a shift-lever 37. v

The ink-ribbon 38 is carried by horizontally dis osed spools 39 secured to vertically dispose shafts 40, and is threaded through guides 41 of a ribbon vibrator, the said guides.

Figs. 5 to 8 the sides of the guides 41 are not quite parallel but are substantially so.

- In order automatically to cover and un-- cover the printing-point, the wire 44 is pivotally connected at its cross bar with a lever 45 which is operated by an arm 46 fast to the bar 24, and the fulcrum of the lever 45 is supported by an arm 47 mounted on and rocking with the shaft 34..

In order to bring different lengthwise strips of the ribbon into use at the printing point, the fulcrum of the lever 45 may be shifted or varied in position. In the instance shown, the lever 45 is fulcrumed at 45 in a link 48 which is pivotally connected with the crank arm 47. In either case, the guide 41 is lifted proportionally whenever the laten is moved up or down, so that the same ongi tudinal strip, field or transverse part of the ribbon is usedat each rinting oint, and the ribbon is automatical y move to cover and uncover the printing point during the operation of the type mechanism. In so far as the foregoing operations are concerned, the arm 47 may be fast on the shaft 34. v

The ribbon 38 consists of a plurality of strips or fields A, B, whether separate or united, having different characteristics, thus one strip A may be of one color, say black, whereas the other strip B may be of a difierent color'such as red, or one strip may be record ribbon and the other copying ribbon.

In order to be able to use any transverse portion or longitudinal strip of the ribbon 38, the arm 47 is mounted to have a limited motion circumferentially of the shaft 34, any one of a great number of suitable means being used to hold the arm 47 in its several posit1ons'relative to,the shaft 34; As sim le and convenient means as any is illustrate in the drawing, where 49 marks a bar arrangedby straight slots 50 and screws 51, to slide along and to rock with the shaft 34, and provided with a cam-slot 52 which engages with a pin or screw 53 on the arm 47 A handle 54 is provided for convenience in sliding the bar 49. The bar 49 rotates the arm 47 whenever the cam-slot 52 is moved one wayor the other along the shaft 34 and so varies the position of the fulcrum of lever 45, by raising or lowering 1t, whereby difierent transverse portrons or longitudinal strips of the ribbon may sliding bar 49 in or out.

be used at each printing point by merely The ribbon 38 is moved en wise by means of bevel gears 55 fast on the s afts 40, gears '56 fast on a shaft 57 said shaft being adapted I to move longitudinally as usual throuf hand independently of a bevel gearf58 w 'ch is held' against movement during the longitudinal shift of the shaft by collars58 that are.

located on opposite sides of a fixed bracket 0:

and are secured to a bearing sleeve which is received in a bearing in the bracket and forms part of or is connected to the .bevel gear 58. A gear59meshes with the gear 58 and is carried by a shaft 60 and a universal joint'61 connects the shaft 60 with the usual ratchet wheel 62 loose on the shaft of and driven in one direction by a pawl 62 on the spring drum 27. p

The longitudinal travel of the ribbon 38 is automatically reversed by means of worms 63 fixed on the shaft '57, headed sliding pins 64 extending through the hollow shafts. 40, and bell levers or. controlling devices 65 which are fulcruined in the cores of spools 39 controlled by the ribbon 38-so that when the ribbon is about all unwound from a spool 39, the corresponding lever 65 is released, whereupon the associated rod or pin 64 drops down into engagement with the corresponding worm 63 and affords a movement of the shaft 57 to engage the gears 55, 56 at the' hell crank 65 to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 when the ribbon uncovers the bell crank and it is free to be moved bythe rod, and that each ribbon reversing device,

dropping as it does by its own weight'into co' operation with its associated worm 63, will effect a reversal in the direction of the feed of the ribbon by 1power applied from the spring drum 27, so t at no strain Whatever is exerted upon the ribbon itself in brin ing about The pin 64 is lifted foregoing description it will be the reversal in the feed thereof an 7 that such reversal is instantly brou ht about and there is no period when the rib on is not being fed in eit er one direction or the-other, or when on the same point on the ribbon. Thus the .125 it will receive successive impacts of the types" instant one spool is disengaged from its'driving mechanism the other spool is engaged so that has its hub or collar secured to the shaft,

57 by a pin or otherwise. The shaft 57 is held at the limit of its movement in either direction by a groove 66 therein and the coacting arm 67 which is pivoted at 67 and is held by a spring-latch 68 as usual.

In Figs. 5 to 7, the line a marks the lower case printing point; and in Figs. 7 and 8, the line marks the upper case printing point. As stated above, Figs. 5 and 6 show, nfull lines, the different positions of lever 45 for using difierent parts of the ribbon at one printing point. In Fig. 7 the dotted lines show the effect of operating the platen shift key, while Fig. 8 shows the effect of operating the bar 49 and the shift key.

The claims herein are not limited to the precise form of the invention shown in the drawing and above described as the invention may be embodied in forms other. than those shown and described.

Certain of the features shown in the accompanying drawings are not claimed herein and, do not constitute. our joint invention but are the invention of Alexander T. Brown and are claimed in separate ap lications filed by him on A ril 21st, 1902 an March 4th, 1904 bearing erial Nos. 103,898 and 196,537 respeetively. These features relate to the t pe bar construction and mounting and to t e laten shifting mechamism.

at we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a typewriting machine, a ribbonguide consisting of a U-sh ped wire having its ends bent back twice u on themselves to form catches for both edges of the ribbon, combined with a rocking arm or lever connected with said guide at the bend of the U, whereby the ribbon is vibrated to cover and uncover the printing point. I

2. In a typewritin machine, the combination with the p aten arranged to be lifted to shift the case, of a reciproeatory ribbon guide, a rock shaft and connections for shifting said platen, an arm on said shaft, a'link pivoted on said arm, 'a lever fulcrumed on said link and actuating said uide, and means for actuatin said lever durin the operation of the type eys.

3.v n a typewriting machine, the combination with the platen arranged to .be lifted to shift the case, of a reciprocatory ribbon guide, a rock shaft and connections for shifting said laten, an arm mounted on the said shaft, a ink pivoted on said arm, a lever fulcrumed on said link and actuating said guide, whereby the same art of the ribbon width may be used at tie printing point in either shifted position of the platen, means for operating said lever during the operation of the type keys, and means for connecting said 'arm and shaft in different relative ositions, whereby different parts of the ribbon-width may be used at the printing point in either shifted position of the platen.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, a rock shaft and connections for moving said platen 'to' different printing positions, a reciprocatory ribbon-guide for covering and uncoverin the printing point during the operation of t ie type mechanism, a lever for actuating said guide, an arm on said rock shaft and movable independently circumferentially thereof and which su ports the fulcrum of said lever, and means w iereby said arm may be moved to and held'in different circumferential positions relative to said rock shaft.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities, an inking ribbon having a plurality of fields of different characteristics, an automatically actuated ribbon vibrator adapted to move the ribbon so as to cover and uncover the printing point, and means for determining which of the plurality of fields shall be presented to the action of the printing instrumentali-ties, said determining means comprising a lever 45, a rotary sleeve that is operatively connected to the fulcrum of said lever, anda hand-ac-' tuated longitudinally movable slide opera- 'tively connected to said sleeve and operative to turn said sleeve to different positions to change the position of the fulcrum of said lever and to retain it in the relative position to which it is shifted. 3

6. In a typewriting machine, the combina tion of printing.instrumentalities, finger keys therefor, a platen, a rock shaft for shifting a ri bon vibrator, an actuating lever therefor, an ad iustable devicethat is carried b said rock s iaft, means for sup orting the fu crum of the actuating lever y said adjustable device so that the lever and rock shaft will move together during-the shift of the platen, hand actuated means movable with the rock shaft for adjusting said adjustable the platen to change the case position thereof,

therefor, an adjustable sleeve carried by and.

adapted to be turned to different positions on and relatively to said rock shaft, means for supporting the fulcrum of said lever on sald sleeve, means carried by the rock shaft for adjusting the sleeve to difierent ositions circumferentially on the; shaft, an means for actuating said lever at each operation of a finger key.

8. In a typewritin machine, the combination of ribbon spoo s having substantially vertically dis osed axes, reversing devices that drop by t ieir own weight and which are associated with said s ools, ribbon reversing mechanism controlle by said reversing devices, and controlling devices carried by the ribbon" s ools and cooperating with said reversing evices.

9. In a typewritin machine, the combination of ribbon spoo s having substantially vertically disposed axes, vertically disposed reversing devices that dropby their own weight and which'are associatedwith said spools, ribbon reversing 'mechamsm controlled by said reversing devices, and controlling devices carried by the ribbon spools and cooperating with said reversing devices, said controlling devices being released by the ribbon on the spools.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination of ribbon spools having substantially vertically disposed axes on which they rotate, reversing devices that are disposed centrally of said spools and which drop by their own weight, ribbon reversing mechanism which is engaged bysaid reversing. devices, and

means for controlling said reversing devices.

11. In a'typewriti'ng machine, the combination of ribbon s ools having substantially vertically dispose axes on which they ro tate, reversing devices that are disposed centrally of said spools and which dro by their own weight, ribbon reversing mec anism which is en aged by said reversing devices, and contro ling devices associated with said reversing devices and which are released when an end of the ribbon is approached to afford an operation of a reversing device.

' 12. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a carriage, a spring drum therefor, ribbon reversing mechanism actuated by said spring drum, reversing devices that dro by their own weight into cooperation wit 1 said ribbon reversing mechanism to bring,

about an operation of the reversing mechanlsm, and controlling devices that are released by the ribbon and control said revers- -i ng devices.

In a typewriting machine, the combinatlon of rlbbon spools, anautomatically actuated vertically disposed reversing device associated'with each ribbon spool, and ribbon reversing mechanism comprising a worm assoclated w1th each'reversing device, each that turn on substantial reversing device being adapted to drop vertically and in the direction of its length by its own weight into cooperation with its associated worm. v

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination of ribbons ools, an automatically actuated reversing evice associated with each ribbon spool, ribbon reversing mechanism comprising a worm associated with each reversmg device, each reversing device being adapted to drop by its own weight into cooperation with its associated worm, and controlling devices associated with said actuating devices and which are released by the ribbon when an end thereof is approached.

,15. In a typewritingrnachine, the combination of horizontally dislposed ribbon spools y vertical axes, reversing devices that are vertically disposed and extend centrally through said ribbon spools, a pivoted controlling device carried by eachribbon spool and which cooperates with an associated reversing device, a worm for each of said reversing devices and which worms are adapted to rotate said ribbon spools, and a spring drum which turns said worms.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combi-' nation of ribbon spools, hollow shafts for turning said ribbon spools, headed sliding pins working in said hollow shafts and extendin through the centers of the spools,

control ing devices, each ivoted to a ribbon spool and cooperating wit the head of a pin and being controlled by theribbon on the spools, and means with which the ins cooperate to effect a reversal in the direction of the feed of the ribbon. v

17. In a typewritin machine, the combination of ribbon spools, vertically disposed hollow shafts for turning said ribbon spools, sliding pins that extend longitudinally through and work insaid hollow shafts and extend into the cores of said spools, controlling bell crank levers, each pivoted to a ribbon spool and cooperating directly with a pin, each bellcrank being controlled by the ribbon on, the spools, and means with which the pins cooperate to effect a reversal in the direction of the feed of the ribbon. v

18. In a t ewriting machine, the combination of ribbon spools, hollow shafts for turning said ribbon spools, slidin pins working in said hollow shafts am? extending through thecenters of the spools, controlling devices, each ivoted to a ribbon spool and cooperatin with the head of a pin and being controlled y the ribbon on the spool, a gear machine, the combinatlon of ribbon spools, vertically disposed shaft carrying said pinions, and a worm for each pin. p

Signed'at Syracuse, in the county of Ononhollow shafts for turning said ribbon spools, sliding pins that extend longitudinally through and work in said hollow shafts and extend into the cores'of said spools, controldaga and State of New York this 9th dayof- 5 ling bell crank levers, each pivoted to a rib-- March A. D. 1904.

bon spool and cooperating directly with a ALEXANDER T. BROWN. pin, each bell crank being controlled by the CHARLES E. TOMLINSON.

ribbon on the spools, a gear on each hollow Witnesses:

spool shaft, a pinion adapted to cooperate E. E. CORY,

10 with each gear, a longitudinally movable ELIZABETH PUBDY. 

